This present invention relates to tank filler neck caps and, particularly, to a push-on filler neck cap. More particularly, the present invention relates to a .Iadd.vehicle .Iaddend.filler neck cap including an attachment mechanism for enabling a user to attach the cap to the filler neck quickly and easily and establish a sealed connection between the cap and the filler neck.
Conventional caps for closing the filler neck of a vehicle fuel tank typically include a closure member for closing the mouth of the filler neck and a handle for turning the closure member to mount the closure member in the filler neck. Partial-turn cam-on caps and multiple-turn threaded caps are well-known types of caps for use in closing filler necks. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,887,733 to Harris and 3,820,680 to Friend. Although turn-to-install caps are currently in widespread use, it would be desirable to provide an alternative cap that is simpler to install on and remove from a filler neck.
More and more vehicle drivers are using the self-service bays at gasoline stations and filling their own fuel tanks. Some people have found that it is difficult to remove and install a conventional partial-turn or multiple-turn filler neck cap during refueling. A cap that is readily installable on and removable from a filler neck by a user without a lot of effort and that is configured to establish a sturdy sealed connection between the cap and the filler neck consistently during use would be a welcomed improvement over conventional caps.
What is needed is a push-on filler neck cap that can be installed easily in the fill passageway of a filler neck. Once installed, a sealed liquid fuel and fuel vapor barrier would be in place near the mouth of the filler neck. Ideally, such a push-on cap would be provided with a cap-release mechanism that is easy to manufacture, assemble, and use.
According to the present invention, a push-on cap is provided for engaging a .Iadd.vehicle .Iaddend.filler neck. The cap includes a housing sized to fit into a fill passageway in the filler neck and closure means for closing the filler neck. The closure means is coupled to an axially inner end of the housing. The cap further includes means for pushing the housing and closure means as a unit into the fill passageway to seat the closure means on a seal-receiving seat provided in the fill passageway in spaced-apart relation to the open mouth of the filler neck. The pushing means is coupled to the axially outer end of the housing.
The cap further includes means for retaining the housing and the closure means in a filler neck-closing position in the fill passageway during installation of the cap. The retaining means includes at least one retaining lug mounted on the housing for pivotable movement between a projected position fitting into a cap-retention cavity formed in the filler neck and a retracted position away from the cap-retention cavity during movement of the housing into and out of the fill passageway. The retaining means also includes spring means for automatically yieldably biasing each retaining lug toward its projected position so that each retaining lug snaps automatically from its retracted position to its projected position in the cap-retention cavity during push-on installation of the cap on the filler neck. Thus, the housing and closure means are automatically retained in the fill passageway during installation of the cap.
In preferred embodiments, three pivotable retaining lugs are mounted around the circumference of a cylindrically shaped housing. Each retaining lug includes a radially outwardly extending locking arm, a central pivot axis, and a radially inwardly extending toggle arm. Each locking arm is configured to fit into the cap-retention cavity formed in the filler neck upon pivoting movement of the retaining lugs to their projected positions. The toggle arms are used to pivot the retaining lugs about their pivot axes to project the locking arms in radially outward directions into the cap-retention cavity as soon as the cap is pushed far enough into the fill passageway of the filler neck. Illustratively, the filler neck is formed to include a single ring-shaped cap-retention cavity. Alternatively, the filler neck could be formed to include a separate cap-retention cavity for each retaining lug.
A lug actuator is mounted for vertical movement in an interior region of the housing and includes a downwardly opening cup-shaped part. The spring means has an upper end extending into the cup-shaped part of the lug actuator and a lower end acting against the closure means. The lug actuator also includes means around the cup-shaped part for moving the toggle arms of the retaining lugs to pivot the retaining lugs about their pivot axes between their projected and retracted positions. The spring means is positioned to push upwardly against the lug actuator so that it moves the toggle arms automatically to pivot the locking arms into the cap-retention cavity during installation of the cap in the filler neck.
The cap also includes a control mechanism for releasing the retaining means to allow a user to withdraw the cap from the filler neck. Illustratively, the control mechanism includes a vertical stem on the top of the cup-shaped portion of the lug actuator. The housing is formed to include a stem-receiving aperture. The stem moves up and down in that aperture during vertical movement of the lug actuator in the housing. The control mechanism also includes a cap-release lever pivotably mounted to an outer shell coupled to the axially outer end of the housing and a cam on the cap-release lever in engagement with a cam follower on the stem of the lug actuator. This cam mechanism allows a user to move the lug actuator manually so that the retaining lugs are pivoted to their retracted positions whenever the user wishes to remove the cap from the filler neck.
To remove the cap from the filler neck, a user first pivots the cap-release lever from a horizontal cap-retaining position to a vertical cap-releasing position. This movement causes the cam on the cap-release lever to turn and allow the upwardly biased lug actuator to move downwardly in the housing. Such downward movement of the lug actuator automatically pivots each retaining lug to its retracted position to disengage the cap-retaining means in the filler neck. The user is now free to lift on the handgrip provided on the outer shell to withdraw the housing and closure means as a unit from the fill passageway.
Additional objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.